Mulee has aimed a dig at the previous FKF management over their haphazard appointments of coaches under Nick Mwendwa’s stewardship, explaining why the new office should keep faith in the current technical bench headed by Francis Kimanzi.
Former Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee has called on the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to retain the current technical bench led by interim head coach Francis Kimanzi, alongside assistants Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno and John Kamau, to steer the national team in the upcoming Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) scheduled for August.
Mulee voiced his concerns shortly after the CHAN draw, emphasizing that hiring a new coach at this critical juncture would disrupt preparations. He cited time constraints and the logistical challenges of bringing in a foreign coach, who would need additional time to study the league and familiarize himself with local players.
“The tournament might have been pushed to August, but the time required to recruit a new coach and allow him to study our league and players will consume much of our preparation period,” Mulee stated.
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Push for CHAN to promote local coaches
Mulee also urged CAF to revise its rules to encourage local coaches to take charge of CHAN teams, arguing that the competition’s focus on local-based players aligns better with homegrown management.
“The way CHAN is structured, it is about local-based players. I think CAF should seriously consider local coaches to handle these players to promote everybody so that we can see the potential of our local coaches,” Mulee said.
He questioned the logic of assigning foreign coaches to oversee a tournament meant to showcase local talent.
“What is the point of having CHAN to promote local players only to have foreigners handling them? It does not make any sense to me. Give the indigenous coaches an opportunity to see what we can produce with our local players.”
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As the draw was conducted at KICC’s Tsavo Ballroom on Wednesday night, attending Kenyan football stakeholders were understandably disgruntled any time Kenya were pitted against another opponent in group A of CHAN 2024. However, there are five reasons why the ‘group of death’ is a blessing in disguise for Harambee Stars.
Kimanzi, Zico & Kamau deserve continuity
Mulee strongly believes that Kimanzi and his team have demonstrated competence and should be allowed to continue their work. He pointed to their solid performance at the Mapinduzi Cup earlier this year, where the technical bench assembled a promising team on short notice.
“If I were FKF president, I would give Kimanzi and his team the job. They know the local players, and with the time they had for the Mapinduzi Cup, they did a good job. The match against Zanzibar was controversial, but overall, they showed potential,” he remarked.
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Former Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee believes Kenya’s Harambee Stars can replicate the side that reached the semi-finals of the 1987 All-African Games on home soil at the upcoming CHAN 2024 despite landing ‘group of death’.
Concerns over foreign coaches
Reflecting on the tenure of former coach Engin Firat, who is now threatening legal action over unpaid salary arrears, Mulee argued that the FKF’s reliance on foreign coaches has been costly and unproductive.
“When I left, Engin Firat came in. How many years were wasted? How many games were won? We need to analyze our performance under foreign coaches versus local coaches,” Mulee said. “How much money has been spent on this coach? Did he qualify? Now he has gone with our money. That money should have been invested in a local coach.”
Mulee further criticized the FKF’s decision-making process in appointing foreign coaches, stating, “A lot of administrators do not know what they are doing. We say a new coach will bring change, but history has shown otherwise.”
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AFC Leopards coach Fred Ambani has expressed his disappointment at the off-field issues that affected his team’s preparations ahead of Saturday’s costly loss to FC Talanta.
As rumors swirl about South African coach Benni McCarthy being linked to the Harambee Stars role, Mulee urged FKF to prioritize continuity and pragmatism over high-profile appointments. He emphasized that retaining the current technical bench, led by Kimanzi, would not only save time but also promote local talent development.
“The current bench has already laid the groundwork and understands the local players. Bringing in a new coach at this stage would be a big disaster,” Mulee concluded.
